Jacob Obermann (March 23, 1819 – April 24, 1887) was a German immigrant to the United States who became a prominent businessman in Milwaukee, Wisconsin's brewing industry.Brewing
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Personal life

Obermann was born in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

on March 23, 1819.Jacob Obermann
/ref> He immigrated to the United States in 1843.Breweries of Wisconsin
/ref>502 W CHERRY ST
/ref> He was a Mason and a member of the ''

Turner Society Turners (, ) are members of German-American gymnastic clubs called Turnvereine. They promoted German culture, physical culture, and liberal politics. Turners, especially Francis Lieber (1798–1872), were the leading sponsors of gymnastics a ...

''.Jacob Oberman Family 1850 - 1900s Milwaukee, WI
/ref> His father was Peter and he had a brother (Caspar) and sister (Catherine). He married twice; Maria until her death in 1852, then Barbara. He had four children (Barbara, Mary, Richard, Edwin) with his second wife. He had at least four other children (Philip, Gustav, George, Herman), probably from his first marriage. He was a member of the Milwaukee Common Council. He died on April 24, 1887, at the age of 68 and is buried in Union Cemetery in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Career

Obermann began his career as a shoemaker in 1843, then opened a store in 1849. He continued with his shoe business until opening a brewery (named ''Germania Brewery'') at 5th and Cherry streets in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1854 and brewed 'Standard', 'Weiner' and 'Extra Brew' styles of beer.A Walk Through Jacob Obermann Brewery
/ref>Rediscovering Milwaukee's historic breweries Part I: Milwaukee's downtown breweries
/ref> He had a partner in the business by the name of Max Fueger. He added an ice house in 1866. The brewery was the city's largest for twenty years until 1874. By 1880, the brewer, along with his sons, was producing 30,000 barrels of beer annually. Obermann's brewery became one of the leaders in Milwaukee's brewing industry until his death in 1887. He was a member of the ''Brewers' Insurance Company of America''
/ref>The Brewers Fire Insurance Company 1870s Milwaukee, WI
/ref> and a founding member of the ''Mechanics Mutual Fire Insurance Company''.

Aftermath of the brewery

After Jacob Obermann's death, the business was continued by his sons until debt problems, due to an investment in

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

, incurred a loss of $200,000, caused the company to go into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver – a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights" – especia ...

in 1893, then again in 1895. The brewery was subsequently sold at auction to Philipp Jung. Obermann's son Gustav went on to operate a brewery of his own at the end of the 19th century.Gustav A. Obermann Brewing and Bottling Co. – WI 328a
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Obermann, Jacob 1819 births 1887 deaths American brewers Businesspeople from Milwaukee Emigrants from the German Confederation to the United States 19th-century American businesspeople

Personal life

Career

Aftermath of the brewery

See also

References